How Mathilde Freund, Vintage Dealer, Spends Her Sundays

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Mathilde Freund, 101, has been selling her wares at the Grand Bazaar NYC for 30 years.CreditCreditNicole Craine for The New York Times

By Alix Strauss

May 4, 2018

For the past 30 years, Mathilde Freund, 101, has been selling vintage clothing and antique jewelry at Grand Bazaar NYC at Columbus Avenue and 77th Street. Ms. Freund was born in Vienna in 1916. In 1937, she fled to Paris when the German Army invaded. She came to New York 15 years later, ultimately finding a job as a social worker at what is now Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and then at the French Hospital, until it closed in the late 1970s. That’s when she found her second calling: selling her wares at the flea market. “I never liked a desk job or dealing with papers,” she said. “I like human beings.” Ms. Freund, who takes classes at Fordham University during the week, has lived in the same one-bedroom apartment overlooking Central Park West for 65 years.

HOPE FOR GOOD NEWS I get up at 5 a.m. I can’t help it. I’m like a computer. I take a hot shower, then a cold one. It’s good for your body and circulation. I was brought up in Europe, so a cold shower is nothing. Then I watch the news and hope for good news. Mostly it’s not so wonderful. I like Channel 1. I listen to music on Channel 75, too, which plays Schubert, Bach and Mozart. I make some toast and read a book. I love to read. It keeps my mind young.

OBJECT WRANGLING From 7 to 8 I organize my cart. That takes time. I sell vintage clothing I’ve accumulated from my travels or things people have given me, porcelain plates and cups, and lots of jewelry — sterling silver, pearls or stones.

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Ms. Freund lives across the street from the flea market where she works. Every Sunday she packs her cart and walks to the bazaar.CreditNicole Craine for The New York Times

A SUPPORTIVE BOYFRIEND A very punctual lady picks me up at 8. She carries my cart into the elevator and walks me across the street to the flea market. I use a cane now when I go outside. Five years ago I slipped in the apartment and broke my femur. It was on my birthday. I call him my boyfriend. I put him in the corner and he never answers me.

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“Some mornings I go to Starbucks,” Ms. Freund said. “The cappuccino is very good. It’s similar to a Vienna cafe I used to go to whose coffee came with whipped cream.”CreditNicole Craine for The New York Times

PROUSTIAN TREAT Some mornings I go to Starbucks. The cappuccino is very good. It’s similar to a Vienna cafe I used to go to whose coffee came with whipped cream. Sometimes I had that for breakfast.

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Ms. Freund sets up her table at the bazaar.CreditNicole Craine for The New York Times

SET UP By 8:15 or 8:30 I’m at my table in the cafeteria of the school. I spend time spreading out everything: jewelry in the front; bigger items in the back. The bags go in a certain place; the clothing gets hung. I don’t look at other people’s tables. I stay at my own spot and mind my business.

ALL ABOUT EARRINGS People trickle in at 10. In the morning, many come to pass time and have no intention to buy anything. Earrings sell the best. Young people are very attracted to them because it intensifies the face. They make all the difference. It attracts the opposite sex.

AGING TIP I eat lunch at 12:30. I bring ham and cheese or a turkey sandwich on rye bread, or a salad. Someone brings me a cup of coffee from the office. I eat very little but I eat good food. That’s why I’m 101.

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“You have to be lucky to have at least one good customer a day and have what someone wants,” Ms. Freund said.CreditNicole Craine for The New York Times

IT TAKES PATIENCE From 1 to 3 I’m sitting, watching and seeing who is coming to the table. Most come in and pass by. You have to be lucky to have at least one good customer a day and have what someone wants. I had three butter dishes for several years. Recently I sold them to a mother and daughter. They were $25 each and I gave them $2 off. Everyone is happy when you give them a discount.

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“I’ve learned not to argue with the customer,” Ms. Freund said. “When they bargain, I try to give them a break. If they ask for too much you have to say no. If you want to make a deal you give in to get rid of the items and not lose the customer.”CreditNicole Craine for The New York Times

NEGOTIATIONS Three to six is when it’s busiest. People go to church or Central Park. They’ve had lunch. They’re more relaxed. They’re ready to buy things. Mostly people like things from France, England or Germany if it’s porcelain. I’ve learned not to argue with the customer. When they bargain, I try to give them a break. If they ask for too much you have to say no. If you want to make a deal you give in to get rid of the items and not lose the customer. At 6 I pack my cart. So far I’ve never broken anything. By 7 the same woman picks me up and walks me home.

HOME I leave the cart as is because I’m exhausted. On Friday I make vegetable soup from scratch. It’s good for three days and I reheat that. Then I watch the news. I’m curious to see what’s happened while I’ve been selling my things. I like to watch the weather to know about tomorrow. The best medication is to sleep. I fall into bed and sleep through the night.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page MB2 of the New York edition with the headline: She Keeps Up Her Side of the Bargain. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe